Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian saw off the old mirror seller and suddenly saw a person wearing a big hat and a veil riding a mule galloping over, causing them both to quickly step back. After removing the veil, they saw that it was Han, the shopkeeper. Ping'an hurriedly asked, "Has the delivery arrived?" Han the shopkeeper said, "The goods have entered the city; could you tell me where you’d like them unloaded, sir?" Ping'an replied, "The master isn’t home; he’s gone to Zhou’s mansion for drinks, so unload them at the building across the street. Please come in." After a while, Chen Jingji came out, took Han the shopkeeper to see Lady Yueliang in the backyard, then returned to the hall, cleaned up, and had Wang Jing bring the luggage into the house. Lady Yueliang quickly had food prepared for Han the shopkeeper. Before long, the delivery arrived. Jingji opened the door of the building across the street, and the workers began to unload. Box after box of goods piled up inside. Ten large carts, full of silk, were unloaded until nightfall. Cui Ben showed up to lend a hand. Once they finished unloading, they counted everything, locked the door, sealed it, and paid the workers. Dai'an rushed to the Governor's office to report the news to Ximen Qing.
Upon hearing that the goods had been unloaded at home, Ximen Qing had a few drinks and planned to head home after dark. Han the shopkeeper was waiting there, and he detailed the whole story to Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing asked, "Has Lord Qian's letter been received? Did you slip him a little something extra?" Han the shopkeeper said, "Thanks to Lord Qian's letter, we managed to pay way less tax on the ten carts of goods. I counted two silk boxes as one, and only reported two out of three parts, all declared as tea leaves and sandalwood cabinets for tax purposes. In total, for all ten carts, we only paid thirty-two taels and five qian. Lord Qian received the tax receipt, and no one came to inspect, so he let us pass." Ximen Qing was really pleased to hear this and said, "I’ll make sure to thank him properly tomorrow." He then asked Chen Jingji to join Han and Cui Ben for drinks, had them stay for a meal, and then each went home.
When Wang Liu'er heard that Han Daoguo was coming, she quickly instructed the maids, Chunxiang and Jin'er, to prepare tea and dinner. In the evening, after Han Daoguo returned home, he paid respects to his ancestors, freshened up, and then the couple caught up. Han Daoguo told his wife how well his business was doing. When his wife noticed the heavy pouch of silver, she asked him about it. He also brought back a couple hundred taels worth of goods, along with some wine and rice, which he planned to sell gradually before bringing the money home. His wife beamed and said, "I heard that Wang Jing has found another Gan partner for sales, and we'll be splitting the profits with Cui Ben. That's great! We can open the store by the end of the month." Han Daoguo replied, "There are salespeople arranged here, but the south still lacks someone to handle procurement and build the warehouse. The master will surely send me there." His wife said, "You know what they say, 'the more you can do, the more you have to do!' If you don’t want to go, I’ll just tell the master to let Gan and the bodyguard take care of the outside business, and you can just sell goods at home." Han Daoguo said, "I’ve gotten used to being out there." His wife replied, "But you got lost last time, and you’re just sitting around at home!" After that, she poured some wine, and the couple toasted to their reunion, then they rested. That night was full of joy, and we’ll skip the details... The next day was the first day of the eighth month. Han Daoguo went to the warehouse early in the morning to oversee the warehouse renovations with Cui Ben and Gan.
Ximen Qing saw that the goods had been unloaded and there was nothing else to occupy him at home, so he suddenly remembered to visit Zheng Ai Yue'er’s house. He secretly had Dai An send three taels of silver and a set of gauze clothing to the Zheng family. The matron of the Zheng family, upon hearing that Ximen Qing wanted to meet their daughter, was overjoyed. She quickly accepted the gifts and told Dai An, "Please say a few flattering words on behalf of the master, mentioning that both of his daughters are at home eagerly awaiting him, and ask him to come over soon." Dai An returned to Ximen Qing's study and relayed the message. Ximen Qing agreed to go in the afternoon and instructed Dai An to prepare the sedan chair. He himself wore a hat, dressed in a blue silk robe, with a light layer of makeup and black boots. First, he went to the warehouse to check the renovation, then got into the sedan chair, lowered the curtain, and with Qintong and Dai An in tow, left Wang Jing at home, only taking Chun Hong, who carried the money bag, and directly went to Zheng Ai Yue'er’s house.
The poem says:
Celestial maidens weave fragrant silk,
First, they drag a snow-white nest into their hands.
Not only can the Peach Blossom Spring inquire about the crossing,
But they also come to the Moon Cave to keep Chang'e company.
Zheng Aixiang was dressed up beautifully and smiled as she welcomed Ximen Qing inside when she saw him arrive. Upon reaching the parlor, she greeted him respectfully. After Ximen Qing sat down, he instructed the servant Qintong, "Send the sedan chair back home and come back to pick me up on horseback tonight." Qintong left, leaving only Dai'an and Chunhong to attend to him. After a while, the madam emerged to greet him, saying, "The young ladies have been quite a disturbance at home; Sir, your esteemed presence is a great honor, please feel free to make yourself at home, why send gifts? And the young lady's clothes, we are really grateful!" Ximen Qing replied, "I called for her that day; why didn't she show up? — She only acknowledges the Wang family!" The madam said, "We're still upset with Dong Jiaor and Li Guier; we didn't know it was the master's birthday and that we were supposed to have them sing. They all had gifts, but our girls did not. If we had known this, we definitely wouldn't have agreed to the Wang family and would have gone to the master’s house first. Later, the master sent someone again, and we were afraid of the Wang family, so we quickly had the girls sneak into the sedan chair through the back door." Ximen Qing said, "A few days ago, I picked her out at the banquet at Old Master Xia's house. If she hadn’t gone that day, I would’ve been really mad. Why didn’t she say a word that day and look unhappy? What’s going on?" The madam replied, "Ever since she started dressing up beautifully, she's been too shy to go out and sing! When she got to the master's house and saw so many people, she was frightened. She has been introverted and spoiled since childhood. You see, she just got up! I've urged her a few times, saying the master is coming today, so she should get up early and dress up. But she wouldn’t listen and ended up sleeping in late."
After a while, a maid brought in tea, and Zheng Aixiang handed it to Ximen Qing. The matron said, "Please have the master sit in the back." Zheng Aixiang led Ximen Qing to the outer room of Zheng Aiyue's quarters and had him sit down. Ximen Qing saw the three characters "爱月轩" displayed above. After a short while, he heard the rustling of the curtain, and Zheng Aiyue came out. She wasn't in a hair bun but had Hangzhou silk wrapped around her head, her shiny black hair piled up like dark clouds. She was dressed in a white jacket and a purple skirt, wearing red embroidered shoes, and adorned in exquisite jade jewelry, making her look even more beautiful and charming.
The poem reads:
If it weren't for the Daoist Guanyin painting,
It would surely be a portrait of a beautiful woman granting longevity.
Ai Yuer approached Ximen Qing, bowed to him, covered her face with a fan and sat down beside him. Ximen Qing stared at her and felt that she was even more beautiful than the first time they met. His heart raced uncontrollably. After a while, a servant brought tea. Ai Yuer gently waved her sleeve, revealing her delicate wrist, picked up a cup of tea, and offered it to Ximen Qing with both hands. Then she and Aixiang each drank a cup. After drinking the tea, she took the teacup and invited Ximen Qing to join her in the inner room. Ximen Qing asked Da'an to take off the green gauze robe draped over him and put it on the chair, then entered the inner room. The room was bright and clean, elegantly decorated, and fragrant, just like a place where gods would reside, inaccessible to ordinary people. The two were chatting and joking when the maid came in to set the table and arranged many exquisite dishes. The first to be served was lotus seed cakes. Zheng Ai Yuer personally prepared the shredded meat and put it in a small plate, handing it to Ximen Qing to eat. After a while, the dishes were cleared away, and a red carpet was rolled out, followed by thirty-two playing cards being brought out for Ximen Qing to play cards with them. After playing cards, more food and wine were brought out. Various fruits were piled up like small mountains, and the wine glasses sparkled, inviting a sense of relaxation. The two sisters poured wine while playing the pipa and zither, and sang a song "Duo's Heart is Coming Up." The song was so beautiful it felt like it could lift one's soul. After singing, they began playing dice with Ximen Qing.
After drinking for a while, Zheng Aixiang went to change her outfit, leaving only Aiyue'er to accompany Ximen Qing in drinking. Ximen Qing pulled a small box wrapped in white cloth from his sleeve. Aiyue'er thought it was tea leaves and reached for it to take a look, but Ximen Qing said, "It's not tea leaves; it's a tonic I usually take. My tea leaves are wrapped in paper." Then he took out a package of osmanthus cakes wrapped in tea leaves for her. Aiyue'er didn't believe him and reached into his sleeve, pulling out a purple sachet containing delicate toothpicks. She looked at it and found it very beautiful, saying, "I saw Sister Gui and Sister Wu both carrying such sachets; so it was you who gave them to her." Ximen Qing replied, "I bought it on a boat in Yangzhou; I didn’t give it to them. Who else would?" After saying this, Ximen Qing drank the medicine and hugged Aiyue'er while drinking, the two of them were close and at ease. Ximen Qing touched Aiyue'er's chest, feeling it very soft and smooth. He lifted Aiyue'er's clothes and saw her fair skin, unable to shake off his lecherous thoughts... Ximen Qing smiled and said, "My good girl! Come down and accompany me." Aiyue'er replied, "Don’t rush; we’ll have plenty of chances later. It's our first meeting today, and I'm not very familiar yet. I'll come to accompany you next time." Ximen Qing wanted to get intimate with her, but Aiyue'er said, "Aren't you going to drink anymore?" Ximen Qing replied, "No more drinking; let's go to bed." Aiyue'er called the maid to move the wine table aside, helped Ximen Qing out of his shoes, and then went to change clothes and take a bath. While Ximen Qing was taking off his shoes, he rewarded the maid with a piece of silver, asking her to head to bed first. He lit incense and placed it in the incense burner. After a while, Aiyue'er came in and asked Ximen Qing, "Do you want to drink tea?" Ximen Qing said, "No, thanks." He closed the door, made the bed, took off his clothes, and got into bed. They embraced each other. Ximen Qing saw Aiyue'er's delicate and smooth skin, pure and flawless, soft and lovely like a fluffy white bun. He held her waist... Aiyue'er frowned, her hands braced on the pillow, looking in great distress.
She squinted and said softly, "Please let me off the hook today!" Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing felt even more exhilarated and enthusiastic... It was just like this:
As spring awakens the red peach blossoms, the green willows dance in the breeze.
Ximen Qing and Zheng Aiyue stayed entwined until the early hours before returning home. The next day, Wu Yueniang asked him to go to the yamen, where Yulou, Jinlian, and Li Jiaoer were all sitting in the upper room. Dai'an came in to get a box to give to Xia Tingxing's birthday gift. Yueniang asked Dai'an, "Who did your father go to drink with in the sedan chair yesterday, only returning so late? He must have gone to Han Daoguo's house to find his wife again. This old scoundrel is always keeping secrets from me and doing things behind my back!" Dai'an said, "No, he came home. How could my father have the heart to go?" Yueniang said, "That's not it. Whose house was it then?" Dai'an just smiled and didn’t say anything. He took the box and went to give the gift. Pan Jinlian said, "Big sister, ask this old scoundrel, how can he tell the truth? I heard that the boy also went with him, let the boy come and ask." She called Chunhong. Jinlian asked, "Who did you go to drink with in the sedan chair with your father yesterday? Tell the truth, or your mother will beat you." Chunhong knelt down and said, "Mother, don't beat me, I'll tell you the truth. I followed my father's sedan chair with Dai'an and Qintong, entered a big gate, turned a few corners, and arrived at a house with a half-door with jagged edges. There was a 'lady' standing inside the door, all dressed up." Jinlian laughed and said, "Old scoundrel, you don't even recognize a half-door? Calling a prostitute a lady." She asked again, "What does that lady look like? Do you know her?" Chunhong said, "I don't know her; she looks like the headgear worn by the lady. After entering the house, an old woman with white hair came out and bowed to my father. Later, a young 'lady' came out, without headgear, with an oval face and red lips, keeping my father company while he drank." Jinlian asked, "Where did you all sit?" Chunhong said, "Dai'an, Qintong, and I were in the old woman's room, accompanying them to drink and eat meat." Yueniang and Yulou couldn't stop laughing. They asked, "Do you know her?" Chunhong said, "I think she used to perform at our place." Yulou said, "It's Li Guijie." Yueniang said, "So it was her house." Li Jiaoer said, "We don’t have a half-door at my place." Jinlian said, "Maybe your place just got a new half-door." After questioning for a while, Ximen Qing returned home and went to Xia Tingxing's birthday.
Pan Jinlian kept a white cat in the house, all white except for a black spot on its forehead, called "Snow Bringing Charcoal" or "Snow Lion." This cat was very clever; it could carry things and even carry ten or so handkerchiefs. When Ximen Qing was not at home, Pan Jinlian would often sleep with it at night, and it would not urinate or defecate on the clothes. It would come when called and leave when told to. Pan Jinlian even called it "Snow Thief." It did not eat dried fish or beef liver; it loved raw meat and was well-fed and strong, with a chicken egg hidden in its fur. Pan Jinlian treasured it, wrapping meat in red cloth for it to play with every day.
One day, the young master was unwell; he had been taking Liu Pozi's medicine for several days and was only just starting to feel a bit better. Li Ping'er dressed the young master in red satin clothes and let him play on the outer bed, while Yingchun watched and the wet nurse sat nearby eating. Unexpectedly, the Snow Lion was perched on the edge of the bed, and when it saw the young master moving around in red clothes, it thought it was the meat it usually got and jumped up, scratching the young master. The young master cried out, gasped, and fell silent, his limbs twitching. The wet nurse was terrified and dropped her bowl, scooping up the young master and patting and comforting him to calm down. The cat still wanted to pounce and scratch him, but Yingchun drove it away. Ruyi (the wet nurse) thought the boy would be alright after a bit, but the twitching continued, so she quickly sent Yingchun to call Li Ping'er, "The boy's not doing well, he's seizing, quick!" Li Ping'er, upon hearing this, was extremely anxious:
"His liver and lungs felt like six leaves crushed together, his heart raced like three hairs in seven holes."
Li Ping'er ran into the house in two steps, seeing the child convulsing, eyes rolled back, with no pupils visible, foaming at the mouth, making cries like a chick, and moving her hands and feet in disorder. She felt heartbroken, quickly picked up the child, pressed her face to the child's mouth, and cried, "My brother, I went out for a while, how did you start convulsing?" Yingchun and the nanny told the story of scaring the child with the cat from Pan Jinlian's house. Li Ping'er cried even harder, "My brother, you must not anger the in-laws; there's no escaping this today!" Yu Niang remained silent for a moment before calling Pan Jinlian and asking her, "Did the cat in your room scare the child?" Jinlian asked, "Who said that?" Yu Niang pointed to Yingchun and the nanny, "They said it." Jinlian said, "Look at this old hag, always running her mouth! My cat was just fine in the room! How did you scare the kid and pin it on me? Cat claws only scratch soft things; is our room that easy to pick on?" Yu Niang said, "How did it come into this room?" Yingchun said, "It often runs back and forth over here." Jinlian said, "Why hasn't it scratched him before? Why now? You’re joining the fuss too; can’t you just talk sense? Our family is just so unlucky!" After saying this in anger, she stormed back into the room.
Dear viewers, Pan Jinlian noticed that Li Ping'er had a son, and Ximen Qing was doting on her, so she went to great lengths to win Ximen Qing back, which is why she raised this cat, hoping to frighten the boy into a fit, make Li Ping'er fall out of favor, and make Ximen Qing favor her again. Just like back in the day when Tu Anjia raised a vicious dog to harm Zhao Dun. As the poem goes:
Thorns are hidden under the flower branches,
How can anyone guard against a treacherous heart?
Everyone noticed the child was having convulsions. While giving him ginger soup to drink, they hurried to call Liu Pozi. Soon, Liu Pozi arrived, checked the pulse, and stomped her feet, exclaiming, "This is serious; it's going to be hard to treat. Quickly brew some mint soup with lotus seeds and silver." She took out gold foil pills, crushed them, but Guanger had his teeth clenched tight. Yu Niang pulled out a gold hairpin to pry open his mouth and poured it in. Liu Pozi said, "If he gets better, that's great. If not, you'll have to inform his grandmother and administer some moxibustion." Yu Niang said, "Who would dare to delay? We'll have to wait for his father to come back and ask. If we do moxibustion now, he'll just be upset when he comes back." Li Bing'er said, "Madam, please save him now! It will be too late when his father comes back. If he gets angry, I'll take the blame." Yu Niang said, "He's your child; you can treat him however you want. I dare not make decisions." So, Liu Pozi performed moxibustion on five points: Guanger's eyebrows, neck, wrists, and chest, then laid him down to sleep. The child was in a deep sleep and didn't wake up until Ximen Qing returned. When Liu Pozi saw Ximen Qing come back, Yu Niang handed her five silver coins, and she quietly slipped away.
Ximen Qing returned to the main room, and Yue Niang told him about the child who was having convulsions. Ximen Qing hurried to check and saw Li Ping'er crying with red eyes, asking, "Why did the child have convulsions?" Li Ping'er cried and said nothing. He asked the maid and the wet nurse, but they were too afraid to say anything. Ximen Qing noticed that the official's son had scratched his hand until it bled, and there were burn marks on his body. Worried, he went to ask Yue Niang again. Unable to hide it any longer, Yue Niang had no choice but to tell him about how the cat from Pan Jinlian's house had scared the child. "Old Liu just checked and said it was a case of acute fright; we had to perform moxibustion, and it would have been too late by the time you got back. The two of them took matters into their own hands and performed moxibustion on the child in five places before they let him sleep. He still hasn’t come to." Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing exploded with rage, storming over to Pan Jinlian's room. Without a word, he grabbed the cat known as the snow lion and went to the corridor, violently throwing it onto the stone platform. With a sickening crunch, the cat's head splattered, and blood was everywhere. The poem says:
Not catching mice in the mortal realm,
But returning to the underworld to become a spirit raccoon.
Seeing Ximen Qing kill the cat, Pan Jinlian sat on the kang, not even batting an eye. After Ximen Qing left, Pan Jinlian began to mutter softly, "That heartless thief! Only by killing people can he be considered a hero! Did a cat really get in your way? Running over like a madman to kill it! He’s gone to the underworld and will come looking for you tomorrow; what are you panicking about? That damned thief will get what's coming to him!"
Ximen Qing went to Li Bing'er's room and scolded the nursemaid and Yingchun, saying, "I told you to take good care of the child. How did you let the cat scare him and scratch his hand! You even believed that old witch Liu Pozi's words and performed moxibustion on the child without justification! If the child is really fine, that's good. But if something happens, I will drag that old witch to the yamen and give her a good lesson!" Li Bing'er said, "The child's fate was never good to begin with. Filial piety is the most important. She also wishes for the child to recover." Li Bing'er hoped for the child's recovery, but unexpectedly the moxibustion hurt the child internally, causing infantile spasms. The child's intestines convulsed, experienced incontinence, had stools of various colors, eyes opened and closed alternately, was lethargic all day, and refused to eat. Li Bing'er was desperate, desperately seeking divine intervention and fortune-tellers everywhere, but the omens were mostly unfavorable. Yue Niang secretly invited Liu Pozi to perform rituals and also invited a pediatric doctor to see the child. When the powder was blown, the child showed no reaction, not even a sneeze. Li Bing'er wept day and night, unable to eat a thing.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, because her child was gravely ill, Li Ping'er didn't even celebrate her own birthday, and she didn't even invite relatives and friends who came to offer gifts. Only Mrs. Wu, Miss Yang, and the master accompanied her. Xue and Wang quarreled over money at the scripture printing house, exposing each other's faults. On the fourteenth day, Ben and Xue demanded money, taking away all the printed scriptures, which totaled fifteen hundred scrolls. Li Ping'er also gave them some coins to buy joss paper and incense. On the fifteenth day, Li Ping'er and Chen Jingji went to the temple early in the morning, donating all the printed scriptures and returned to tell Li Ping'er. The wealthy Qiao family sent Sister Kong to check on the child every day and recommended Doctor Bao to see the child, saying, "This child is beyond help and can't be cured." They paid Doctor Bao five silver coins and sent him on his way. The child wouldn't take the medicine and just threw it up. The child just lay there with eyes closed, making a gurgling sound. Li Ping'er barely rested, holding the child day and night, crying until her eyes were swollen. Ximen Qing didn’t visit often either, just stopping by to check on the child after work each day.
It was late August, with a cool breeze in the air. Li Ping'er held the child in bed, a silver lamp burning on the table, and the maidservants were all asleep. Li Ping'er looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, listening to the ticking of the clock, her heart heavy with worries and countless thoughts. She recited:
The Milky Way glimmers, the jade clock chimes. The bright moon shines through the window, the cool breeze blows through the room. The woodcutter's lodge drum beats, one watch not yet over, one watch struck; the courtyard's cold chisels, a thousand pounds of rice being pounded. The sound of iron horses clinking in front of the painted eaves, shattering the thoughts of the sorrowful woman; the light flickering on the silver platform, casting a shadow on the beautiful woman sighing. With all her heart wishing for her child's recovery, who would have thought that sorrow would lead to so many sleepless nights?
Li Ping'er lay in bed, in a drowsy state, dreaming that Hua Zixu entered from outside, dressed in white, looking just as he did in life. Upon seeing Li Ping'er, he shouted, "You shameless woman, how could you give all my belongings to Ximen Qing? I’m going to sue you for this!" Li Ping'er grabbed his sleeve and begged, "Brother, please spare me!" Hua Zixu froze, jolting awake and realizing it was just a dream. When he awoke, he found he was clutching the sleeve of the official's son. She let out a few burps and exclaimed, "How strange!" The sound of a drum marked exactly three o'clock in the morning. Li Ping'er was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat, her hair standing on end.
The next day, Ximen Qing entered the room and recounted the dream he had last night. "I know where he went! This must be a dream from the past. Don't take it too seriously; just try to let it go. I'll have someone go and invite Wu Yiner to accompany you, and I'll also have Lao Feng come to take care of you for a few days." Dai'an quickly brought Wu Yiner over. As the sun was setting, the child was barely breathing in the nursemaid's arms. The nursemaid anxiously shouted to Li Ping'er, "Madam, come quickly to see the young master. His eyes are rolling back; he's only exhaling and not inhaling!" Li Ping'er hurried over to pick up the child, crying and calling the maid, "Quickly go and call your father! The child seems to be struggling to breathe!" At that moment, Chang Zhijie came again, saying that the house had been found: two storefront houses, two floors, a total of four rooms, for only thirty-five taels of silver. Hearing about the child's critical condition, Ximen Qing asked Chang Zhijie to go back first, "I won't see you off today; I'll send the silver to you later." He quickly ran to Li Ping'er's room. The women watched helplessly as the child gasped for breath in his mother's arms. Ximen Qing couldn't bear to watch and sat in the chair in the bright room, sighing. In a short while, the child passed away, having lived only one year and two months. The family members all burst into tears. Li Ping'er clawed at her face, slammed her head on the ground, and fainted from her grief. After a while, she woke up, holding the child and crying, "My darling, my beloved darling! I would rather die with you than live without you! My heart is broken!" The nursemaid Ruyi'er and Yingchun beside her also cried uncontrollably. Ximen Qing instructed the servants to clean up the west wing room, set up two wide benches, and prepare to carry the child out with the bedding. Li Ping'er held onto the child tightly, refusing to let go, crying, "My wronged one! My darling! You've taken my heart and soul! I've put in so much effort and endured so much suffering, and now I'll never see you again..." The women tried to persuade her, but to no avail. Ximen Qing walked over, saw her scratched face and disheveled hair, and said, "Look at yourself! After all, he's not our own child. We raised him for a while, and he died early. It's fine to cry a few times, but why cry like this! Crying won't bring him back, and you need to take care of yourself too. Now let's have him carried out first, and then we'll call a Taoist priest to see what time it is now." Yueliang said, "It's around the hour of the monkey." Yulou said, "I've said it before! He had to leave at this time. His birth and death times are both around the hour of the monkey, on the 23rd, just different months. Exactly one year and two months." When Li Ping'er saw the servants preparing to carry the child away, she cried again, "Why are you rushing to take him away? Auntie, feel him, he's still warm!" She cried out, "My child! How can I bear to let you go! You've caused me so much suffering!" She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The servants gently carried the child out and laid him in the west wing room.
Madam Yue said to Master Ximen, "We still need to let the in-laws and the child's teacher at the temple know." Master Ximen replied, "Let's speak to the teacher at the temple tomorrow." He sent Dai'an to report to the Qiao household and also had someone invite Master Xu Yin Yang to come and consult about the child's fate. He handed ten taels of silver to Ben Si, instructing him to quickly carry a pair of fir boards and have a carpenter make a small coffin in preparation for the funeral. When the Qiao family received the news, Master Qiao's wife immediately arrived in a sedan chair and broke down in tears as soon as she entered. Madam Yue and the others joined in mourning, recounting the events once again. After a while, Master Xu arrived and after assessing the situation, he stated, "The child passed away during the hour of Shen." Madam Yue instructed to bring out the black book for him to read. After examining the Yin Yang book, Master Xu said, "The child was born on the 23rd day of the sixth month of the Bing Shen year and passed away on the 23rd day of the eighth month of the Ding You year. The month is Ding You, the day is Ren Zi, which indicates a serious loss of heaven and earth. The immediate family should refrain from crying, while other relatives may express their grief. During the funeral, people born in the years of the Snake, Dragon, Rat, and Rabbit should stay away for good luck. The black book also states: Those who die on the day of Ren Zi will ascend to the Bao Ping Palace and descend to the Qi Di. In his previous life, he was a man from the Cai family in Yanzhou, who bullied and robbed others, indulged in alcohol, disrespected heaven, earth, and parents, and faced numerous misfortunes. He suffered from a chronic illness, remaining bedridden for an extended period, and passed away in squalor. In this life as a child, he also suffered from epilepsy. Ten days prior, he was startled by livestock, his soul was damaged, and he offended the Earthly Branch Tai Sui, resulting in his soul being taken by the deceased and reincarnated as a man in the Wang family in Zhengzhou, where he later became a military officer and lived until the age of sixty-eight." After reading the black book, Master Xu asked Master Ximen when the funeral or cremation would take place. Master Ximen replied, "How can we possibly hold it tomorrow? Let's wait three days, complete the prayers, and then have the funeral in two days, laying him to rest." Master Xu said, "On the 27th day of the Bing Chen year, it is auspicious for the whole family to bury him at noon." After determining the fate, the funeral preparations began, despite it being well past midnight. Lady Li cried as she returned to her room, taking out the child's few clothes, hat, shoes, and socks, placing them in the coffin, sealing it with longevity nails. The family cried again before finally seeing off Master Xu Yin Yang.
The next day, Ximen Qing was in disarray and didn't show up at the yamen. Xia Tingxiang heard about it and came to pay his respects after the yamen had adjourned. He also sent someone to notify Wudao Temple, stating that three days later, he would invite monks from Baoren Temple to his home to chant scriptures. Wudao Temple and Qiao Dahufu's family both sent offerings of food and incense. Wudaju, Shen Yifu, Han Yifu, and Huadaju all sent offerings and burned joss paper. Ying Baojue, Xie Xida, Wen Xiucai, Chang Zhijie, Han Daoguo, Gan Chushen, Ben Dichuan, Li Zhi, and Huang Si all contributed money and came to keep Ximen Qing company that evening. After the monks had departed, they invited opera singers to come, first to perform rituals in front of the child's spirit, and then Ximen Qing hosted a banquet in the main hall. That day, Li Guijie, Wu Yiner, and Zheng Yuer's families all came to pay their respects with gifts.
Li Ping'er missed Guan Ge so much that she was feeling down all day, unable to eat and just cried, her voice hoarse from weeping. Ximen Qing was afraid she would miss the child, so he thought of a way: during the day, he had the wet nurse, maid, and Wu Yin'er accompany her, never leaving her side. At night, Ximen Qing slept in her room for three consecutive days, trying different ways to comfort her. Xue Guzi even read her the "Sutra of the Perfect Enlightenment" and the "Curse of Resolving Grievances" at night, telling her, "Don't cry anymore; he's not your child, but a creditor from your past life. Isn't it said in the 'Sutra of the Perfect Enlightenment': once there was a woman who had three children, all of whom died before the age of two. She cried so much she felt like she might die, holding her child by the river, unwilling to let go. This moved Guanyin, who transformed into a monk and said, 'Don't cry; these are not your children, but your enemies from a past life. They have reincarnated three times, all wanting to kill you. If you don't believe me, I'll let you see.' Saying this, he pointed, and the child turned into a yaksha, standing in the water, saying, 'You killed me in your past life, and I've come to take revenge. Now, because you often recite the "Sutra of the Perfect Enlightenment," the benevolent spirits protect you day and night, so I can't harm you. I have been saved by Guanyin, and from now on, I will no longer oppose you.' After saying this, he sank into the water and disappeared. Let me tell you, your son must be a past-life enemy, reborn in your family to take your money and torment you. Because you've recited the "Sutra of the Perfect Enlightenment" fifteen hundred times, you have this merit, so he couldn't harm you and left you. The one born tomorrow will truly be your child." After hearing this, even though Li Ping'er still couldn't let go, she couldn't help but cry when she thought of this matter.
Five days later, on the morning of the twenty-seventh, eight young attendants dressed in green clothes and white hats were hired, using a large red coffin adorned with gold decorations, accompanied by banners, ceremonial cloths, jade plums, and snow willows. In front was a large red banner that read "The Tomb of Xi Men, the Male Key Figure." At the Wu Daoist Temple, twelve young Taoist boys dressed in green were also dispatched to chant the "Sheng Shen Yu Zhang" around the coffin while playing music for the funeral. Relatives and friends dressed in mourning attire accompanied Xi Menqing and walked to the east end of the street, just as they reached the entrance. Xi Menqing, fearing that Li Ping'er would be heartbroken at the grave, didn't allow her to attend. Only Wu Yueniang, Li Jiao'er, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, and the eldest sister of the family, with five sedan chairs, accompanied the mother of the Qiao family, the great-aunt, and Li Guier, Zheng Yue'er, and Wu Shunchen's wife, Zheng Sanjie, to the grave, leaving Sun Xue'e, Wu Yiner, and two aunts at home to accompany Li Ping'er. When Li Ping'er realized she wasn't allowed to go and saw the coffin being carried out the door, she ran after it, crying out, "Oh, my poor child!" She cried until her voice was hoarse, and in a fit of grief, she bumped her head against the door frame, causing her forehead to bleed and her gold hairpin to drop. Wu Yiner and Sun Xue'e hurriedly helped her up and urged her to return. Returning to the room, she saw the bed empty, with only the birthday star drum that her son used to play still hung at the head of the bed. She wanted to pick it up, but suddenly struck the table in frustration and cried non-stop. Wu Yiner, holding her hand, advised, "Mother, try not to cry so much. Brother is already gone; crying won't bring him back! You need to find a way to cope and not dwell on sadness all the time." Xue'e said, "You are still young; if you continue to worry like this, it will take a toll on your health! There are cracks and ears in the walls; we can't speak openly about it. He had ill intentions and ended up harming himself. He caused your child's death; let him taste the consequences and pay with his life. We have all suffered because of him many times! As long as the man keeps an eye on him, it's fine; sleeping in his room for a night will make him furious. You all know that the man rarely comes to my place; he has only been here once. Look, he constantly murmurs behind my back, gossiping about me in front of his sister. We just ignore him, watching him with one eye open and one eye closed every day."
"This whore, who knows how she'll meet her end tomorrow!" Li Ping'er said, "Forget it, I'm just as sick, not knowing when I might die, I can’t argue with her anymore, let her be!"
While speaking, Nanny Ruyi knelt down and cried, "There's something I don't dare to tell you, Mistress - today the young master died, it's all because I have no luck. I'm afraid that in the future, father and mother-in-law will send me away. Now that I have lost my husband, where can I go?" Seeing her say this, Li Ping'er felt even more upset and said, "Silly child, even if the child is gone, I am still alive! Even if I die tomorrow, after you have worked for me, I won't let you go. In the future, when your mother-in-law has another child, I will let you take care of it, just like before. There's no need to worry." Ruyi stopped speaking. After a long time, Li Ping'er cried again in sorrow, and Xue'e and Wu Yiner persuaded her, "You haven't eaten anything yet, don't just cry!" They had Xiu Chun bring food and put it on the table to accompany her. Li Ping'er couldn't bring herself to eat at all! She only ate a small bowl and then put it down.
Master Ximen selected a burial plot at the grave and buried the young master beside Madam Chen, burying the grandson together. That day, Qiao Dahut and relatives were all there to pay their respects, and they drank all day in the newly built shed. After returning home, Li Ping'er, Lady Yuen, Qiao Dahut's wife, and the matchmaker all kowtowed and cried. Li Ping'er said to Qiao Dahut's wife, "Dear mother-in-law, who is like me, raising a child only to have him die so young? Not only did he die, but he also put your daughter through so much, making her a widow. Please don't make fun of me." Qiao Dahut's wife said, "Why are you saying this, dear mother-in-law? Children have their own destiny; who can guarantee what will happen in the future? As the saying goes, what will be, will be. You are still young; are you worried about not having grandchildren in the future? Take it slow, dear mother-in-law, don't be too sad." After saying this, she left.
Ximen Qing had Mr. Xu clean the front hall and put up yellow talismans to ward off evil spirits. The deceased's malevolent energy was three zhang high, moving towards the northeast. If it encounters the wandering spirits and comes back, it should be killed to bring good fortune and spare the family from taboo. Ximen Qing thanked Mr. Xu with a piece of cloth and two taels of silver. That night, Ximen Qing went to Li Ping'er's room to spend the night with her. The two of them shared tender moments for a long time. Seeing their son's toys still there, Ximen Qing was worried that Li Ping'er might feel sad, so he asked Yingchun to put them away. It is said: "The thoughts of the beloved child cry day and night; my heart feels like it's being cut, hanging by a thread. All the sorrows in the world, except for death, are the pain of separation."
